As any retail or service worker will tell you, customers can be irrational, demanding, abusive, and brain-scramblingly, mind-bendingly strange. They can also be kind, thoughtful, funny, and full of pathos. Something about the often-fraught interaction between customer and worker, with the dividing line of the counter between them, loosens inhibitions, and has a kind of hot-house effect on eccentricity.

In I Can't Remember the Title But the Cover is Blue, veteran bookseller Elias Greig collects the best, worst and downright weirdest customer encounters from his years working as a Sydney bookseller. From ill-behaved children to nostalgic seniors and everything in between, this hilarious and unpredictable book is the perfect gift for anyone who's ever been on the wrong side of a counter.

I Can't Remember The Title But The Cover Is Blue by Elias Greig is published by Allen & Unwin, RRP $19.99.

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My Thoughts On The Book

I Can't Remember The Title But The Cover Is Blue by author Elias Greig is a laugh out-out-loud read full of amusing, cringeworthy quips that bring out the smiles. The novel portrays moments in a bookseller's life that would leave many running for the hills, but which still entertain many in his plight. After all, who hasn't asked that question "I can't remember the title but the cover is...". An aptly named novel that is a nice, surprising read that should not be missed.
Review copy received from Allen & Unwin